IN THE mid-1850s Patrick and Margaret Milbanks joined many other Irish people and decided to journey to Australia and try their luck in a new country.
They arrived in Queensland with son William, born during the voyage, and took a job on Pikedale Station at Stanthorpe.
Their daughters Bridget and Margaret were born during their time there.
When the lands in the Logan region were made available for settlers, Margaret selected 350 acres at Kerry.
Later Patrick was able to select a further 133 acres.
On arrival at Kerry in 1875, Patrick set about building a slab hut to shelter his family.
He then cleared and fenced the land.
Like the cottage, the fence was built of timber harvested from the land. It consisted of posts and two rails to contain the stock.
For her part Margaret became the local bush nurse and midwife, often travelling large distances, sometimes at night and in atrocious weather conditions.
During this time, she also travelled by foot to Brisbane, a return journey of 140 miles (225 kilometres), to visit her sick daughter, Bridget, in hospital.
Life was hard for the pioneers, and having to watch their children not respond to treatment, die, and be buried miles from home was a fact that was a way of life for these stoic people
Patrick died in 1896 at age 77, and he was followed by Margaret in 1907 aged 74.
Their son William did not marry; daughter Margaret married Frank Clail, son of Robert Clail, another early resident of the district.
They are buried on the boundary of their selection, adjoining the Kerry Catholic Cemetery.
When he built their cottage, Patrick Milbanks would never have envisioned that in 2025 we would be celebrating the 150th anniversary of its construction.
It is a tribute to his workmanship that such a celebration is possible.
